On Tuesday afternoon, the 8th Grade Academy was placed 30th out of 1,596 schools in the competition’s “explore” category for education-focused programs. There are 2,502 total schools in the competition.

The school that receives the most votes in the “explore” category will receive a $25,000 grant from the company. A school can use the money for whatever it wants, but had to declare its plans for the money when submitting its nomination form to the competition.

A judges panel, made up of Clorox employees and education experts, will also choose a school from the “explore” category based on merit. Three factors will be considered: quality of submission, impact of program on children and adherence to contest theme of helping children.

The school with the most votes overall — across the “explore,” “play” and “create” categories — will win $50,000.

In addition to saving paper and reducing backpack weight, the iPads would improve the educational experience for academy students, said team leader Kerry Heathwaite.

“We’re looking at 21st-century skills,” she said. “The iPads would give instant feedback for teachers, would tie into smart technology and would give us up-to-date interactive texts.”

Meredith Herdter — a student teacher at the academy and member of a University of Massachusetts graduate program — helped oversee the grant application, and is promoting the competition on social media.